Devil's Snare
by Shnaps
Summary: Chaos is erupting, true evil is about to be unleashed, and it's ultimate rivle is laying battered, broken and alone in the middle of a mortal war. HG/OC. Demons! Contains graphhic sex scenes and gore!
1. Chapter 1

Hell's Hand-Basket

Chapter 1

On Broken Wings

Hermione was furious. How _dare_ he? The nerve of that man!

Once gain Ronald Weasley had managed to screw up their carefully constructed friendship, _potential_ relationship, by thinking with his dick instead of his head! Well she'd had it! Absolutely had it with him and his childish games!

She struck a small rock with the toe of her she out of frustration, watching it roll, clattering as it went over the abundance of small stones and pebbles lining the black lake. She knew she shouldn't be out this late, and if caught she'd be in more than enough trouble to land herself in detention for the next decade...given the circumstances

Hermione heaved a tired sigh, plonking herself down near the water. She kicked off her shoes and peeled off her socks, and let her feet soak in the cool wet. It was all getting too much - the looming war, her constant falling outs and making ups with Ron, her best friend's erratic and violent mood swings...the prospect of loosing them...

If nothing else, part of her wished she could go back and simply ignore her Hogwarts letter. That way she wouldn't be here, in the middle of a war, completely hopeless and vulnerable...But 'simple' seemed to be a word not often heard amongst wizard folk

Hermione shook her head in an attempt to clear her thoughts. For now all she wanted was to relax under the silver moonlight by the lake, and simply forget. Closing her eyes she leaned back onto the river bed, and small smile gracing her face

Minutes later she realised the world had gone quite. The chirping of the crickets and cooing of the night jars had ceased, leaving in their wake an eerie silence. Sitting up right and alert, Hermione glanced about her surroundings with wide eyes. Hastily pulling on her shoes and socks, she stood...nothing. Everything seemed as it should be, as if her world had simply fallen asleep. Still Hermione felt uneasy, and she listened with baited breather for any sign or sound of life

And there is was; a small, throaty moan. A man, perhaps. 'Hello?" Hermione called into the darkness. She was answered with the rusting of leaves. The noise came from the direction of the forbidden forest, closest to Hagrid's hut where the trees were at their thinnest "Is someone there?"

Igniting the tip of her wand in a ghostly blue glow, she held the wood as far out in front of her and paced steadily towards the disturbance. Within a few meters of where the trees began she stopped, holding the illuminated wand high over her head. "Oh, my Merlin...!"

It was indeed a man, or, at least, _was_...at some point. Uncaring as to weather the mangled form was friend or foe, Hermione rushed forward. He was bent awkwardly over the twisted knob of a tree root, breathing shallowly and unevenly, an obviously dislocated arm slung over the wood and sitting at an odd angle out in front of him, the other crushed between his chest and the ground. His naked body was littered in deep knife wounds and dark bruises, and caked in a layer of his own blood. His hip bone was visible where a particularly nasty cut had opened up his flank, and a 'Devil's Trap' symbol had been branded into his right arm. Hermione wanted to be sick

She reached out to brush his black bangs away from his puffy, bruised face, and blackened lids flittered wearily open, revealing striking, crystal-blue eyes. He stared for a moment, something like confusion and distrust glittering in his magnificent orbs, before his face contorted into a look of agony and his eyes scrunched closed

"It's ok" Hermione whispered soothingly, still stroking his hair. Her voice trembled, adrenaline pumping trough her body as she concocted a way to get him to the school matron without causing to much commotion. She didn't dare move him, lest she cause more damage, but if she left him to find help he could die...or worse. If only Hagrid were here, the thought wistfully. 'I...I'm going to help you. I'll get you out of here, just...just hang on"

"Kill me" he rasped weakly. "Please, just kill me"

"Wha-what...n-no, I can't. I'll...I'm...just hang on. I'll be right back!" A split decision was made, and Hermione took off as fast as her legs could carry her towards the castle. Firenze, the exiled centaur made his home on the ground floor - she'd go to him. Charging up the front steps and through the front doors of Hogwarts castle, she kept her pace as she flew through the entrance hall, foot falls echoing loudly about the empty room as she made her way to the left passage, hidden behind the grand stair case. Her lungs burnt as if acid had been pored down her throat, and she clutched a stitch in her side as she ran

She skidded to a halt in front of the fourth door and rapped frantically on the wood. "Professor, open up! It's an emergency!". Moments later the door swung open, revealing a very tired and dishevelled centaur

"What is it?" he mumbled, rubbing her eye with a closed fist. Had she not been in such a

state of alarm, she may have found Firenze's almost human-like behaviour rather humorous

'There-there's a boy, a-a man...he's hurt! Down near-near the forest! You have to help him!" Hermione wheezed, trying to catch her breath. The centaur sobered immediately

"Where exactly?"

"In the trees just down by Hagrid's hut! He's hurt - bad!"

"Alert Madam Pomfrey - I will find him"

"Y-yes Professor" Without a moment's waist, the centaur cantered off towards the hall, leaving Hermione to make her way as quickly as possible to find the school nurse. She burst into the infantry, startling a few patients out of their slumber with yells and shrieks. She'd not even called for the middle-aged healer before the matron came scurrying out of her private quarters, fastening her dressing gown

"What is it, dear? What's wrong?" she stressed, eyes raking over Hermione for signs of physical damage

"A man ... He's hurt ... Hagrid's hut ... hurry" Hermione managed to choke out

"Lead the way" Madam Pomfrey ordered, and Hermione turned sharply and hurried out of the ward, Healer in tow

Ten minutes later they reached the tree root, where Firenze had started a small camp fire next to the injured man, throwing into full sight his disfigured form. The man himself was unconscious, and a few of the less terrible cuts and bruises had been healed or bandaged. With a wet cloth the centaur had cleaned some of the blood from his face

Seeming to have completely forgotten about Hermione, the healer immediately got to work, and within minutes most of his cuts and bruises had vanished, his swollen face was restored to reveal and exceptionally beautiful young man, and his dislocated arm had been popped back into place. "We'll need to take him back to the Hospital Wing before I can do any further examination. This will take some work. Firenze, if you could - "

"You may want to take another look now, Poppy" the centaur interrupted, gesturing to the large hanging branch curving crookedly into the tree's foliage. Leaning forward curiously, Hermione noticed something rather odd about that branch. For one if looked to have some kind of torn material hanging from it. For another, it was attached to the man's shoulder blade

Her first thought was that perhaps the man had fallen, and impaled himself. But then she realised, leaning forward further still, that up close it looked like -

"Wings" she whispered. Madam Pomfrey frowned, moving around the blue-eyed man to examine the overlooked appendage more thoroughly. She moved her hand over the arm, her eyes following a line up into the tree

"You're right..."

**A/N:** So, what do you think?


	2. Pyromaniac

Chapter 2

Pyromaniac

Madam Pomfrey and Hermione managed to lug the blue eyed man and his 6ft wingspan to the hospital wing, the only interruption having been Professor Snape who's, now obviously obsessive loathing towards all things Potter had him pause to make sure 'Blue' was not one of Harry's adventures gone wrong, before hastening to alert Dumbledore

Professor Snape lost any remaining respect the bushy-haired witch held for him that night

It was ordered, due strictly to the fact that an unknown and potentially dangerous being was being held and treated in a school, that Blue be restrained as soon as he was thoroughly examined and treated accordingly. Professor Dumbledore, despite Professors McGonagall and Snape's objections refused to allow any leakage of Hermione's discovery, and thus Blue was now being accommodated in a private ward, usually reserved for examinations and more contagious or embarrassing cases, wings outstretched and supported by massive slings fastened to the ceiling, and chained securely by the wrists and ankles

Hermione spent most of her spare moments with his slumbering form, between classes and maintaining a steady friendship with Harry and Ron, although the later seemed adamant to make it as difficult as possible for her, and all the other essential habitual exercises that made up her day. Sometimes she even studied with him, asking him rhetorical questions and sharing with him some of her more impressive work. She would spend hours on weekends examining his wings and the excessive damage done to his body

Unfortunately, Blue's already critical condition seemed only to be deteriorating, despite the Matron and Hermione's best efforts, and neither Madam Pomfrey nor Professor Dumbledore would answer Hermione's questions about the strange hybrid man, other than 'he's like nothing we've ever seen before'. Although Hermione was positive they knew more than herself, she wasn't so sure they had any answers either

Though he had fangs, he wasn't a Vampire, nor Dampier, Hemophage or anything related. Though he had wings, Harpies, Sirens and Furies were strictly female, and if Hermione's glimpse of his naked form indicated anything, then Blue was most definitely a man. Demons, however they were portrayed in fairy tales and horror stories, had only ever been described in factual books as evil spirit beings, closely linked to nature spirits or 'angels', and Blue was far too solid to be a spirit. '_If he even has a spirit anymore'_

Blue's plea still haunted her, and she wondered how someone who simply _oozed_ power, even in slumber could have been reduced to begging a stranger to take their life. Even more worrisome, is _what_ could have done it? It was obvious Blue was equipped to be a killer – vampire fangs, dragon wings and a figure so incredibly seductive it was almost impossible to believe he existed, a figure Hermione had gradually come to notice, and caught herself…_appreciating_ more often than she was willing to admit, didn't exactly scream 'cuddly'

And if there were more beings like him, as it seemed there was nothing else strong enough and capable of flight to inflict such horrific wounds, wouldn't someone have sighted one before? Nothing can hide so well that no one had even glimpsed it…could it?

A gentle nudge to her shoulder roused Hermione from her musings, and she turned to the concerned face of one Harry Potter. She smiled reassuringly. 'Sorry, off with the fairies. Did you say something?'

'Are you sure you're ok? You seem really…distracted'. Harry hesitated for a moment, before leaning in closer. 'It's not Ron, is it?' he whispered. Hermione shook her head

'No. Not really…I don't know. I'm just sick of these little head games he thinks he's playing. I wish he'd just make up his mind' She sighed. Lovely Lady Lav-Lav was flouncing around attached like a leach to Ronny's elbow…_again_….for the _fourth_ time. It'd seem she enjoyed wedging herself into the picture two seconds after Hermione and Ron has made some kind of progress towards a 'relationship'. Now Hermione wasn't so sure she wanted a relationship with Won-Won

'Oh…um, right…' Harry paused, and grinned boyishly at her. 'I'd say something helpful, but I'd probably just screw things up more'

'Probably', Hermione agreed, and Harry pouted sulkily. Ginny bounded down the stairs a moment later, and the boy wonder immediately perked up

'Hi Gin!' he all but screamed. Hermione rolled her eyes. _Screw things up, indeed._

'I'm going to the library' she announced, rising. Harry looked panicked for a moment, his gaze shooting to Hermione, expression pleading, as Ginny recovered from the initial shock of Harry's enthusiastic greeting

'Oh…oh, ok. See you, 'Mione…erm…Hi, Harry!' Ginny spluttered. She grinned none the less, and Harry seemed to relax a bit. Hermione know she wouldn't be missed, and waved a final good bye as she headed for the portrait

She, of course, has no intention of going to the library, instead heading for the hospital wing, and private ward number 3. It was as it always was – still sterile, still white, the 20th inch-by-inch tile, 4th row from the right on the opposite wall still missing, Blue still a ghastly grey under his olive complexion, still lifeless, still hopeless, just still.

Hermione sighed, collapsing into the visitors chair positioned next to the bed and a small set of draws. For a moment she did nothing but stare, longing for another glimpse at his extraordinary eyes – his beautiful, eerie, crystal-blue eyes. Briefly, she wondered if that was in fact the color of his eyes, or if it was just what she wanted to remember them as. But no, she was sure they were blue, as if staring at a summer sky through a diamond, or the froth-tipped folds of the clearest ocean. Hermione's fingers curled daintily around Blue's frozen hand, allowing herself the smallest of contact, just to prove he wasn't a mirage, and gently traced to the lines of his calloused palm

"What _are_ you?" the young witch wondered aloud, pausing her mindless ministrations to massage the tips of his frozen fingers. A moment later something occurred to her; he was _cold_. Too cold. Despite the increasing crispness of the autumn atmosphere, despite the fact that he was laying half dead in a chilly hospital room, despite the fact that he hadn't moved an inch in eight weeks, Blue was freezing!

Grinning triumphantly, Hermione dashed across the small room to the cupboards, and, after a moment of searching, swaggered back to her seat with a large beaker in hand, and set it down on top of the draws next to Blue. "Incendio", uttered Hermione, flicking her wand. Flames shot from the tip, igniting a fire inside the beaker

Blue's response was almost immediate – a subtle twitch of a bandaged wing, and then, with a groan, his head turned to face the flames, expression taunt. Hermione could have cried

'MADAM POMFREY!' she hollered, racing for the ward door. Something smashed outside, and the quickened clicking of heals could be head growing rapidly clearer, before the door burst open, revealing a confused and concerned Poppy Pomfrey

'What is it?' the matron demanded, eyes flicking from Hermione to Blue, and back again

'Fire! I lit a fire, and he moved! I…I think he's cold!' In a blink of an eye, the elder witch was at Blue's side, checking his pulse, his breathing, his temperature, his blood pressure. Even from where Hermione stood, out of the way, she could see the warm color creeping into Blue's beautiful face. '_All this time, and he was just cold!_'

**A/N:** consider this sentence a disclaimer to all characters, names and words/terminology recognized solely from within the series Harry Potter. They belong to J.


	3. The Devil's Awakening

_**Previously:**__ 'What is it?' the matron demanded, eyes flicking from Hermione to Blue, and back again_

_'Fire! I lit a fire, and he moved! I…I think he's cold!' In a blink of an eye, the elder witch was at Blue's side, checking his pulse, his breathing, his temperature, his blood pressure. Even from where Hermione stood, out of the way, she could see the warm color creeping into Blue's beautiful face. _'All this time, and he was just cold!'

Chapter 3

The Devil's Awakening

Hermione's waited with bated breath as the Matron fussed around Blue's bed. It was beginning to look more like a shrine, or some form of ceremony; candles, flaming beakers, touches, caldron burners, oil lamps and even a heart-shaped fondue that Hermione cared not to know the story behind were scattered over the draws, chairs and floor as close to Blue as possible. Blue had twitched a few more times, and frowned wherever his left wing moved…only the left; the right wing had yet to make even the miniscule of flinches. He'd turned further into the flame, and Hermione had made the treacherous task of maneuvering her way through the maze of blazing objects to snatch a beaker out of the way before Blue burnt his nose

An hour later and there had been no further progress, besides the disappearance of his greyish skin tone. His breathing was deep and even, his face relaxed; pouty lips slightly parted, the tip of a fang digging into the delicate flesh as he slumbered on. Madam Pomfrey had been called away, after a brawl had broken out between some of the Slytherin and Gryffindor second year boys, five of which were now undergoing treatment for a mixture of incorrectly cast spells. Hermione had been tempted to eavesdrop, just out of curiosity and a hint of boredom, before scolding herself and making a mental note not to spend so much time with Harry – he's was such a bad influence!

Instead she shed her school robe and re-arranged some of the candles so she could sit by Blue. She was too worked up and excited and the prospect of Blue coming good. She had so many questions she didn't know where to begin!

And there was the sense of nervousness. Every time she glanced at the chains, coiled around his wrists like snakes, slithering down his body to where they were bolted to the floor, so came the harsh reminder that Blue was still potentially dangerous, lethal even given his physical predatory attributes. She hoped he'd be grateful; she'd saved his life, after all, but there was no telling how he'd react when he woke. Just the same as there was no telling how a sedated lion would interpret his savior after a rescue from a poacher; he was just as likely to tear her head off. Blue was built to kill; it would make sense that his mind worked a similar way

Hermione slept restlessly that night, tossing and turning in her queen-sized bed. She was relieved at the privacy the head girl dorm offered, away from the prying eyes and gossip of Lady Lav-Lav and her cronies. At times it was lonely – her only companion was Luke, a brainy but complete turn-off from Ravenclaw. They got along ok, as long as Hermione didn't have to spend too much time looking at him

'_Thank Merlin tomorrows Sunday_' the brunet thought, giving up sleep. It was a lost cause; such a huge breakthrough with Blue, after months of nothing, she didn't expect she'd be able to. She draped herself in a cozy bed robe and headed down the short flight of stairs to the Head Common room. She hesitated a moment, contemplating her next move. Sighing, she caved, and swept out of the portrait to check on blue. Luckily, the Hospital Wing was situated on the same floor as the Head Dorms, so there was little chance of getting caught, even without Harry's map

She snuck quietly into the Hospital Wing, tippy-toeing her way past the remaining three second years, and through to the private wards. Hermione jiggled the lock, and turned the handle inch-by-inch until the door clicked open. She slipped into the room, careful not to make a peep, and visibly relaxed once she was safe inside the ward

Her relief didn't last long

The sight that greeted her made her want to faint. Blue was sitting up on his bed, his searing sapphire gaze burning holes into Hermione as he sat, frozen like a deer caught in headlights. His right wing was raised up over his head intimidatingly; his left slumped down the side of the bed. The winding chains around his wrists had been torn clean out of the floor; the end of the twisted metal restraint binding his left ankle dangled from his fists. He was still naked, and still very, _very_ male

'_Oh. My. Merlin_!'

Time stopped. Hermione gaped. Blue stared. The chain continued to swing

'….oh', Hermione finally squeaked, eyes the size of tennis balls. Blue sat up straighter and the stare off continued

Hermione briefly considered fetching Madam Pomfrey, but she couldn't just leave; Blue was on the verge of escape. She couldn't call; the ward had been sound proofed incase anything did happen, which it had, in order to keep the occupants of the main wing oblivious. She dared not to raise her wand, not whilst Blue was in such a vulnerable position; he'd probably attack. So she decided, gathering as much of her Gryffindor bravery as she could muster, she'd just have to make the first move

'Here, let me help you', she said gently, inching warily towards the bed. Blue tensed; his good wing rising higher over his head and Hermione got closer, nostrils flaring. 'I'm not going to hurt you'

Tentatively, she reached to open the chest of draws, and extracted the key to the cuffs on his chains. Blue watched her almost robotically, his wing now stretched to his maximum length and twitching. To his credit, Hermione's head was still fastened securely to her neck. She breathed deeply, extending her keyless arm

'Give me your hand' she ordered softly. Blue's fist was still occupied by the ankle restraint. He didn't look convinced. 'I'm going to let you go. Give me your hand'. Despite her reassuring words, she was still tempted to whip out her wand and magically bound him, then proceed to run out of the room screaming. Though she didn't think that would go down too well with the winged man

It took a moment for Blue to respond; his expression changed slightly. He watched her calculatingly for a minute, before dropping the chain to pool in his naked lap, and offered his wrist to her. Hermione slipped to key into the lock, and the cuff fell free

'What's your name?' Hermione jumped, and dropped the key as Blue's deep, velvety voice washed over her

'Pardon?' she blurted, startled. Blue frowned

'Your name? What is your name?' he repeated impatiently

'Oh, um…Hermione. Hermione Granger' she muttered, embarrassed and she bent over to retrieve the key. Blue was already waiting; arm extended for her to unlock his other cuff. She obliged. 'And yours?'

'Ashleigh Iventon', he stated. (**A/N**: Sorry for the interruption. Pronunciation: Ash-Leigh, pronounced like legion). The second cuff dropped free, and Hermione moved to his ankles, painfully away of Blue…_Ashleigh_'s far too bare body

'That's a nice name' she mumbled, unlocking the last cuff. It, too, clattered to the floor

'Thank you', was his absent reply. Whether for the complement or his current state of semi-freedom she wasn't sure. Shaking her head, Hermione set the key down on the draws and wandered over the linen cabinet

'Here, put these on' she said, handing him a set of light blue and white striped pajama bottoms. 'Just be careful near the candles; flannelette is highly flammable'. Ashleigh took the pants from her, and Hermione turned around to give him some privacy. She covered her eyes, too; just in case

Of all the scenarios she'd gone through in her head, awake or dreaming, none even came close to what had just occurred. Sudden fits of aggression, tranquilization, terrified huddling in corners and unexplainable disappearances were just some of the major event factors in her musings. Not once was he not wearing pants, not once did she imagine she'd be releasing him from his bounds, not once was his first question 'What's your name?', not once did she even consider he'd introduce himself as anything but 'Blue'. It all seemed rather silly really, that's she'd imagined Bl-_Ashleigh_'s resurrection be so dramatic

'So, now what're you going to do with me?' Hermione frowned, confused

'I'm not sure I understand what you mean?'

'My wing is broken, I have iron poisoning, I have multiple wounds that will need time to heal, I'm sick and cold and I can barely move'. He paused thoughtfully. 'Where am I, anyway?'

'Hogwards School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, Scotland' Hermione turned around nervously. B…Ashleigh was sitting at an awkward angle, adjusting the waistband of the pajamas. '_At least he's not naked anymore_'

'You don't sound Scottish?'

'No, I'm British', she hesitated. 'And…and you?'

'Nowhere you've ever been, I assure you…nowhere you'd care to either' he added as an afterthought, straining to reach one of the flaming beakers without jolting his damaged wing; the claw-finger of his good wing dug into the wall too help keep him balanced. Most of the candles had burnt out, Hermione noticed

'Look, um…I'm going to get the School Matron. I'll be back in a minute'

'NO!' Ashleigh lurched forward, and hissed like a startled cat as the movement jerked the lifeless limb still hanging uselessly over the side of the bed. He rubbed at his shoulder, looking sour. 'The less of your kind that know of me, the better'

'She already-'

'She doesn't know I'm awake. I have a job to do, and so far I've failed rather spectacularly. I don't need snooping humans sniffing around and getting in my way. If you know of somewhere safe I can go to recover, I'd really appreciate it…preferably somewhere warm. Otherwise I'll be on my way' As if to prove a point, Ashleigh lent over the size of the bed a picked up his dead wing. He grimaced as he dragged it onto the bed, and started to fold it against his back. Hermione sighed

'I have a private dorm – it has a fire place. You can stay there, just until you recover. But I still don't feel comfortable with-'

'Excellent!' Ash grabbed the discarded bed sheet, tore it in two with far too much ease, wrapped it around his waist, securing his wing in place and tied the ends off, before stumbling ungracefully from the bed. 'Lead the way'


	4. Angelica's Plea

_**Previously: **__'I have a private dorm – it has a fire place. You can stay there, just until you recover. But I still don't feel comfortable with-'_

_'Excellent!' Ash grabbed the discarded bed sheet, tore it in two with far too much ease, wrapped it around his waist, securing his wing in place and tied the ends off, before stumbling ungracefully from the bed. 'Lead the way'_

**Chapter 4**

**Angelica's Plea**

Sneaking Ashleigh into the Head Dorms wasn't as easy a task as Hermione had first thought. For a start, half way out of the ward Ashleigh had the hindrance, though admirably good idea to frame an escape. Hermione spent the next five guilt-riddled minutes trashing Ashleigh's private ward, replacing the key in the draw, tearing the last chain from the floor and smashing the window, by the end of which Ashleigh was looking far too pleased

As luck would have it, Mrs. Norris had just so happened to have chosen that particular point in time to be lurking around the Hospital Wing door, meowing up a storm, and clawing at a mouse-hole in the wall. Ashleigh offered to get rid of her, and as much as Hermione disliked the feline, her life had some small value. She regretfully declined

Then there was the obstacle of the portrait hole. The Witch had hoped that Ashleigh would just give up at this point, and go back to the Ward where he would receive professional treatment, but instead he spent ten agonized minutes shoving himself and his two extra limbs through the hole in the wall. Had he not looked to be on the verge of passing out, no doubt thanks to his broken wing, Hermione might have found the scene quite laughable. Thankfully, it seemed the anti-male wards around Hermione's room were only effective on _human_ men, as Ashleigh encounter no further issues as he limped his way up the stairs, and collapsed on Hermione's bed

'Merlin, you're hard work!' Ashleigh's reply was indistinguishable, his voice muffled by the pillow he'd buried his face into, but it was obviously a tone of protest. "So now what're you going to do, just lounge around in my room until you feel better?' Ashleigh simply rolled himself over, yanked the scarlet bed linen out from under him and buried himself under the covers. 'Oh, right. Fantastic. And where am I going to sleep?' Hermione fumed, crossing her arms over her chest

'I dunno' Ashleigh yawned, nuzzling Hermione's pillow. 'Can you turn the light off?' Hermione saw red; she couldn't _believe_ what she was hearing! The nerve!

'You'll be very careful how you speak to me, or I'll break your other wing!' she glared; she could feel her face growing hot. Ashleigh cracked an eye open

'You going to kick me out?' he asked, almost challengingly, though his voice was quiet and croaky. Hermione's anger subsided slightly, and she sighed, shaking her head. He really didn't look well. 'I don't mind sharing'. She eyed him suspiciously. 'No funny business, I swear'. She hesitated

'Ok, fine. But tomorrow night you're sleeping on the floor', he began to speak, looking reproachful. 'I'll get you a mattress'. Ashleigh paused, looking thoughtful, and closed his mouth. He nodded, and shuffled over to make room on the bed

Hermione found herself feeling incredibly vulnerable, and wishing she'd warn a slightly less skimpy pajama top as she shed her dressing gown and climbed into bed next to a complete stranger. Ashleigh was looking far too intently at her exposed shoulders and mid-drift for comfort. 'I'm not sure I feel comfortable with this' she said, covering herself up with the crimson blankets

'I'm not gonna try anything' Ashleigh mumbled, snuggling the pillow affectionately as he closed his eyes. Hermione felt her stomach lurch weirdly, but shook it off. She flicked her wand once and the lights went out. Darkness spilled out over the room, bringing with it an intense sense of unease

Here she was, an untouched woman, sharing her bed with a strange, inhuman man…with fangs. Just the thought of it was frightening, but the reality was downright terrifying. 'Ashleigh?' she whispered nervously

'Ash', he grunted. Hermione frowned

'What?'

'Call me Ash'

'Oh, ok…' She tried again, 'Ash?'

'Hmm?'

'You _swear_ you won't do anything?' Ash huffed, his strangely cool breathe tickling her shoulders. Hermione shivered, and nearly jumped out of her skin as a tight embrace of muscle wrapped around her torso. 'You said-!'

'Relax…Gods, you're warm'. Ashleigh's body was still icy cold and he pressed himself flush against Hermione, wedging his leg between her thighs. His breathe ticked and his lips brushed the back of her neck as he spoke, burring his face into her wild hair. It was the most intermit moment she'd ever shared with another person, and Hermione was so tense she ached

'You're freezing!' she squeaked. Ash didn't reply

The next morning Hermione was incredibly thankful that it was a Sunday, considering she'd slept through her alarm and woken up at 9:15. She sat up and stretched, adjusting her top so that is covered her breasts properly, and slipped out of bed for a hot shower – last night had been rather chilly

Twenty minutes later the bathroom door opened, exhaling a gush of steam into the bedroom, and out padded Hermione in nothing but a towel, hair brush in hand as she hummed a soft tune. She rummaged through her draws, picking out a pair of comfortable black tracksuit pants and a purple tank top. The town slipped from her body as she slipped into her knickers and pants, and turned to the mirror to brush and dry her wet hair

She froze, mid brush, staring at the mirror in absolute horror. Ashleigh yawned, arching his muscular body off the bed as he stretched, and winced at the strain on his broken wing. He glanced up, briefly, and then did a double take. His jaw dropped

Hermione yelped, and whirled around to snatch up the towel and cover herself – the water-logged piece of fabric was twisted, and she fumbled. 'Stop staring at me!' she screamed. Ash blinked dumbly, closed his mouth and turned away slowly. '_Thank you_!' Hermione hissed, adjusting the towel again. Satisfied that she was completely covered, she picked up the rest of her clothing and stormed back into the bathroom to finish dressing

Ash was sitting up in bed when she finally decided to show her face again. He pretended to ignore her, which she was fine with, instead ruffling through the pages of _Hogwarts: A History_. Hermione picked up her brush again, and proceeded to fix her hair

'You know', Ash started a few minutes later, 'if it's any consolation…they're really, _really _nice'

'Oh, shut up!' Hermione snapped, blushing furiously

'No, really – they're _huge_!'

'_Ashleigh_!' she exclaimed, slamming the brush down on top of her dresser. The handle broke off, and landed on the floor with a muffled '_thunk_'. Hermione sighed, running her fingers through her long brown hair. 'Look, let's just…forget that ever happened, ok?' The winged man just shrugged and turned back to the book

'Well, _you_ can pretend' he muttered quietly. Hermione suppressed the urge to slap him

'Right, well I'm going to stage complete obliviousness at your disappearance and then go find my friends. Don't make a mess. I'll be back later' Ash looked up from his book again, expression slightly sullen. His good wing twitched. 'Do you want anything – food, another book?'

'A fire would be nice'. She flicked her wand, muttering the incarnation and blames burst to life in the fireplace. 'Thanks'. Hermione looked thoughtful for a moment

'Ash, can I ask...I mean, do you…what _are_ you?' Ash bit his lip, his massive canine sliding out over the delicate flesh, and he gazed thoughtfully into the fire. Hermione waited

'Didn't you want to find your friends?' he asked quietly

'They can wait' Hermione answered, sliding onto the mattress. Ash shifted uncomfortably

'Ok…well, long story short I'm referred to by man as what has become known rather dejectedly as a demon' Ash cast a glance at Hermione, who looked to be at a loss for words. He sighed. 'I suppose you want an explanation now, don't you?'

'Well…_yeah_!' Hermione breathed, feeling rattled. 'But…this is an awful lot to take in, I mean-'

'I haven't even gotten to the best part yet' Ash smirked wickedly, diamond eyes gleaming. 'I was human once a long time ago, as in like six hundred years ago, a long time ago. I was victim of the Black Plague. You know what that is, right? '. Hermione nodded mutely. 'Good. So anyway, the plague broke out and I was dying, my parents had perished a few weeks before …and my little sister, Angelica was in the cot next to me. The doctors told me I had mere hours to live. Angie was distraught - she didn't want to be alone. I promised myself I'd give anything in the world if I could live to see her through it. I thought it was some cruel joke when Hecate came to me and offered me the gift of eternal life in exchange for my sole, but I agreed, on the off chance that it somehow meant Angie wouldn't have to die without me there to hold her hand. And that's exactly what happened – I started to recover, whilst my baby sister continued to deteriorate…come sunrise she died in my arms…she was only twelve…

'It was a medical miracle, no one had even survived the Black Death…of course the credit when to the 'Holy Lord Jesus'. Whatever. I went back to my family home, completely healthy, and buried Angie in the garden….Hecate appeared a month later, chased me around the house hurling fire balls at me for about an hour, Hades love her. You know who Hecate is, right?' Hermione shook her head. 'The Goddess of the Crossroads and Magic, among other things…like launching balls of molten rock at people. Anyway, being the Goddess of Crossroads it's within her power to claim a mortal sole and turn them over to the Underworld without actually killing anyone, which is of course how she obtained the titles Goddess of Witchcraft and Evil. So she dragged me back to hell kicking and screaming', Ash grinned darkly, 'and now here I am, in all my demonic glory'. Hermione just stared

'Your six hundred years old?'

'Six hundred and seventy one, to be precise; I was _abducted_ when I was twenty three…Are you ok?' Hermione nodded absently, sliding from the bed and walking shakily to the other side of the room. Ash looked worried. 'You're not ok'

'No, this is just an awful lot to process…you…I mean; you're not even supposed to _exist_! ' Hermione lent back against the fall with her palms to her face, trying to gain her bearings; as if life couldn't get more complicated! 'I'm fine; I just…need a moment'

'I guess it's a lot to take in, huh? Could you imagine my horror when I woke up on a ledge overhanding a pool of lava with a pair of six-foot wings sprouting out of my back? I nearly fell in'. Hermione grinned involuntarily into her hands

'No, I can't. That must have been terrible'. She looked up, feeling dizzy. 'Could you imagine my horror when I found you the way you were?' Ash smiled lopsidedly

'Yeah, that must have been pretty mortifying…I never did thank you for that; you saved my life'

'No problem…well, yes it is; I've now got a demon hiding out in my room, but anyway', Hermione walked back over to the bed and sat down. 'You were pretty bruised up that night. What happened?'

'You realize that if you breathe a word about me or anything I tell you to anyone, I will be forced to take drastic measures to silence you and anyone you inform, right?' Ash said seriously. Hermione rolled her eyes

'I figured that one out on my own, thanks'

'Just checking. Well, funnily enough Hades isn't as 'evil' as people make him out to be. I mean, granted he's a nasty, ruthless, power-hungry piece of work, but he's fair in his own strange hell-ruler kind of way. I mean he doesn't just kill because it's fun, and he still has his followers and his own toasty warm realm of doom and his slaves and everything, so he hasn't got much to complain about, really. But every now and again there is some demon punk that gets too big for his boots and decides he wants to be all high and mighty, and of course the first thing they need for that is a posy of mortal followers. So he skips off to the mortal plane and starts plotting to overthrow Hades with his little minions.

'Which is where I come in; it's my job to bring back other demons who have been snooping about the mortal plane too long. Only I underestimated Haden, who incidentally was created by Hades to do his dirty work – I don't think he'll do that again in a hurry. A little while after I picked up his trail I was ambushed; Haden wasn't even there – his mortal followers had been leaking a fake trail with a vile of Haden's blood that led me straight into their trap, in an abandoned house not far from here. They poisoned me, tortured me, branded me with a Devil's Trap and left me for dead. I'd expected Haden to come back for my body, so I escaped out a hidden passage way in the wall. The only problem was I came out under the root of some sort of savage tree; it threw me into the air, but my wings were already so badly damaged I couldn't save myself, and I landed at the edge of the forest. The last thing I remember before waking up tied to that hospital bed was your voice telling me it was ok; that you were going to help me. I guess I'm just lucky someone as good-hearted as you found me…someone as willing as you to understand and help me' Ash offered her a kind sort of tight lipped smile. Hermione smiled back, then frowned

'The Devil's Trap? I've heard of them – what exactly does it do?'

'It's a symbol, in most cases drawn into a floor or ceiling so that when a devil or demon steps into it, it traps them inside the circle. The demon can then only get out when the outer circle is broken, or a more powerful source releases it. But I've been branded with the symbol by an iron rod, so I can move about whilst bearing the symbol, but I can't get back to Hell unless I travel to Greece, or until the would heals and the scar fades, but as I'm allergic to iron and was previously poisoned with an iron dagger coated in liquid iron, that'll take a bit more time to heal. The only thing that'll speed up the process is a pure heat source, and let's face it, I teeny little fire like that', he gestured to the roaring fire place, 'isn't going to cut it'

'So you're stuck here? Won't Haden come looking for you when he finds you gone?'

'I'm not sure what his intentions were – if he wanted me dead he would've just had his henchmen kill me. But instead he poisoned and trapped me in the mortal plane – obviously he wants something from me. I'm fairly sure I'm safe here, for now – he can't go back to Hades for information now that he's been black labeled; he'd be killed in sight, and the intense magical aura and human scents here will keep me from being detected…but it _is_ close to the ambush site; he might suspect I'm here'

'Well, it doesn't matter – for now, let's just focus you getting better. Is there no way of breaking the circle?'

'No, even if we were to break the skin the circle will still be complete, and branding burns deeper than the skin so there no point in trying to cut it off. I'd rather spend a few months on a separate world than hack a chunk out of my arm…By the way, you might want to go and see the Matron, before she gets suspicious'

**A/N:** _Well, hopefully that cleared some things up; poor Ashleigh has had it pretty tough. And just remember, it's Ash-Leigh, pronounced the same way as legion_

_And yes, this is a similar plot-line to that of _Harbinger_ by _Copper Vixen_. No, this was not intentional, in fact I didn't even think about that particular story when I started writing this, but as something I have read in the past and, of course one which may have unknowingly influenced my story I figured I'd give it some credit anyway. I am, however trying to steer away from _Vixen_'s plot line, so don't get cocky in thinking you know what I'm going to make happen next. But if you enjoy I bit of action, Greek Mythology, demons and slash I'd suggest to read _Harbinger_ – it's very good_


End file.
